Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, along with President Barack Obama, have attempted to debunk an evident association between ISIS and the Islamic religion. Earlier in the year, Obama stated that ISIL is not Islamic but a “terrorist organization, pure and simple.”

Along those lines, Abdul-Jabbar made a statement earlier in the year on MSNBC’s broadcast of “Morning Joe.” He believes that ISIS may gain ideology from Islam but that their organization does not represent the religion. In some ways, it would be like saying that the KKK represents Christianity.

“You can make parallels to things that have happened here in America. Like the Ku Klux Klan saying they are the Christian knights,” Abdul-Jabbar explained. “And they do not practice Christianity.”

He compares ISIS and the KKK as two hate groups that use religion as a justification for their wrong actions.

“People use that as an excuse. It’s not an excuse and oppressing one group means that we have to look out, all groups have to come together to fight that type of oppression, because we all should be free,” he added.

When it comes to the motivation of ISIS terrorist, Abdul-Jabbar says, “It’s a play for money and power, and these people try to impose their will on people so people will listen to them, and they can be in charge. That’s all it’s about. They’ve taken on a fascist attitude and a fascist approach to everything. You do what we say or you die.”

The former NBA player who converted to Islam in the 1960s, explained his own experience as a Muslim in America.

“When I first became a Muslim, we were under the radar, no Muslims had done anything crazy, we stayed under the radar, most Muslims lived a peaceful and prosperous life here in America. And then 9/11 came and all of that changed,” he stated.

In his article for “Time Magazine” that followed the “Charlie Hebdo” attack, Abdul-Jabbar explained how he and other famous Muslims are constantly having to explain that terrorism and Islam do not go hand in hand.

“Another horrendous act of terrorism has taken place and people like myself who are on media speed-dial under ‘Celebrity Muslims’ are thrust into the spotlight to angrily condemn, disavow, and explain—again—how these barbaric acts are in no way related to Islam,” the article stated.